Taking Charge Read Online Free PDF Page B

full she felt as if she might
burst. She had eaten her own body weight at the Old Country Buffet,
and seeing her dad had been testing to say the least. She should
feel tired, but the truth was, she didn’t feel settled enough for
sleep. There were far too many thoughts running through her
head.
    She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and looked
through the list of contacts. She picked one and set it to
dial.
    “Hello,” the female voice answered.
    “Sarah Gorski, what are you doing in a nightclub?
Haven’t you got work tomorrow?” Robyn greeted.
    “What? I’m not at a nightclub. Who is this?”
    “Oh, I like that. It hasn’t been that long since I
called you. Have you forgotten me already? I thought we were
friends.”
    “Robyn? Is that you? Where are you?” Sarah
questioned.
    “Aunt Pam’s.”
    “No way! I don’t believe it! How long have you been
here?”
    “Flew in today. Listen, are you busy? Wanna meet
up?”
    “When?”
    “Now.”
    “Crap, Robyn. I’m at the garage picking Mickey up
from work.”
    “Well bring him with you.”
    “But I promised him pizza tonight. We’ve got coupons
that need to be used up and everything,” Sarah responded.
    “Bring the pizzas.”
    “Well, where were you thinking of meeting?”
    “Eddie’s.”
    “You are kidding?”
    “No, why? Don’t tell me even you and Mickey don’t go
there any more.”
    “Robyn, it’s turned into a dive! The only people that
go in there now are the motorbike gang and anyone with an armful of
tattoos,” Sarah explained.
    “Have you seen this Nancy lately?” Robyn asked.
    “Not lately, not since Eddie got ill.”
    “What’s she like?”
    “Well, she’s very blond and she smiles a lot, mainly
at men.”
    “Not ideal stepmom material then. Not going to be
teaching me needlework any time soon.”
    “The whole place smells, and it doesn’t even do food
any more.”
    “What?! Why hasn’t anyone told me about any of this?
I may be on the other side of the world, but it’s just a telephone
call away.”
    “You don’t return my calls,” Sarah replied.
    “Have you called? There must be a problem with my
voicemail,” Robyn said quickly.
    “It’s really changed, Robyn.”
    “Right, well, I need to see it for myself. You and
Mickey meet me there.”
    “Robyn, I…”
    Robyn ended the call and got off the bed. She caught
sight of herself in the mirror and let out a sigh. She was back and
not everything was the same.
    There was another phone call she should make, but she
couldn’t face that just yet. She was here now, back in her old
life. There wasn’t room to think about anything in England. Her dad
needed her, whether he wanted to need her or not, and she had to
focus on that.
    She rubbed her eyes, swept her hair back behind her
ears, and unclasped her baseball cap from the handle of her
backpack. She put it on, stuffed her feet back into her tennis
shoes, and headed over to the window.
    She pulled up the blinds, quietly opened the window,
and hoisted herself up onto the ledge. If she told Pam she was
going out she would only worry. Having two children, each with an
unrivalled death stare, was enough worry for anyone. The wind
chilled her as she slipped out and she reached back in for her
sweater before closing up the window.
    It was time to meet Nancy.

Chapter Five
     
    It was a fifteen minute walk to Eddie’s Roadhouse on
Shaver Road and, when Robyn arrived outside, she hardly recognized
it as the buzzing diner it had once been. Lined up near the front
entrance were half a dozen Harley Davidson motorcycles, and in the
parking lot were two very run-down RVs that looked like they had
people living in them.
    From inside, Robyn could hear the sound of ZZ Top
blaring out and the barking of what sounded like half a dozen
dogs.
    She pushed open the doors and stepped inside, only to
be overwhelmed by the rather obvious scent of marijuana.
    The place looked like something that had been blown
up and then haphazardly put